Charging-switch.



Paiemed M926, 1902.`

IXBGHE SWIT 'H.

(Application filed Nov, 15, 1901.)

`(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILLER R. HUTCHISON, OF NEWr YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO HUTCHISON ACOUSTIC COMPANY, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW JERSEY.

cHARclNe-swlTcI-i.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 707,699, dated August 26, 1902. Application tiled November 15, 1901. Serial No. 82,350. (No model.)

To all 1071.077?, it nuty/ concern:

Be it known that I, MILLER REEsE HUTCHI- sON, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the borough of Manhattan and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Charging-Switches, oi' which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is a device by which unskilled persons can conveniently connect a storage battery' with a source of electricity in the proper manner for charging. It is well understood that the poles oi' the charging-circuit must be connected with the poles of the battery in such a manner that the current will iiow through the battery in a direction contrary to the direction of discharge, and while persons skilled in the handling of such apparatus are familiar with appliances and means for accomplishing this charging process properly persons unskilled who find it necessary to use storage batteries must be pro vided with ready and convenient devices for charging which will prevent injury to the battery. l

The device is intended especially for use in connection with portable storage batteries for general use and which, being in the hands of unskilled persons and requiring i o be charged often and at dilerent locations, cannot be damaged by wrong charging.

The device herein described will make the charging operation simple and accurate.

The device itself may be called a chargingswitch and embodies a polarized electromagnet, a switch controlled thereby, and suitable means for connecting the device with the source ot' current and the battery.

In .me accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional view of the charging-switch, and Fig. 2 is a diagram of the circuits.

The switch mechanism is inclosed in a suitable casing A, provided externally with two binding-posts a and a for connecting the terminals ot' the battery. It is also provided with two so kets l) and lr', into which plugs connecting Vith the charging-circuit may be inserted. .lffuside of the casing is xed an electromagnet M, whose armature m is polarized and therefore responsive only when current ot a certain polarity flows through the magnet. The armature carries a contact-tinger 0, adapted to connect with a contact 19 when the magnet attracts the armature. lVith the armature is also connected a lever or arm f, which extends through a slot in the box a short distance, so that its position may be seen. Aspringf acts upon the lever in a way to withdraw the armature from the coutactp. The pivotal point for the armatureleverf is at m. The projecting end of the lever fserves as an indicator to show the condition ot' the contacts o and p with respect to each other. The circuits will be described in connection with the operation, which is as follows: Vtfhen the battery is to be charged, plugs g g on the end of a flexible cord, one of which is larger than the other, are inserted into or connected with the terminals of the battery l), which they respectively t, as shown in Fig. 2. The other two ends 0f the cord are then connected with the bindingposts (t and a. Then the two plugs 77. and 7a', connected, respectively, with the two sides of the charging-circuit, are inserted into the sockets b and b'. A circuit is then established through the battery as follows: from one side of the main circuit to the socket b, thence by wire l through magnet M to the contact p. From the armature m a wire i leads to binding-post at. Thence the circuit leads through the cord and the battery and again through the cord to the binding-post c. From c a wire t leads to the socket b'. The operator then moves the leverf a full stroke to the right, whereupon the circuit is completed between the contacts o and p. lt the current is iiowing in the right direction for charging thebattery, the magnet will hold the contacts o and p together and the lever f will remain to the right and the battery will charge until the circuit is broken by moving the lever to the left or by separating any of the connections. lf on moving the lever to the right in the rst instance it was not retained in that position, but was immediately retracted to the left-hand position by the springf, the operator would know that the current was iiowing in the wrong direction to charge the bathtery, andvhe will then reverse the position of mo the plugs h h in the sockets b D'. rlhis reverses the direction of the current, and the battery will be properly charged.

Having described my invention, I claiml. The combination or" a storage battery, a source of electricity, a charging-switch consisting of a polarized electromagnet and contacts controlled thereby, a circuit including the battery, the source of electricity, the magnet and the contacts in series and means for manually closing the contacts to complete the circuit.

2. The combination of a storage battery, a source of electricity, a charginglswitcb consisting of a polarized electromagnet and contacts controlled thereby, a circuit including the battery, the source of electricity, the inagnet and the contacts in series, means for 1nan ually closing the contacts to complete the circuit and an indicator adapted to sliowlwliether the circuit remains closed "I 3. A charging-switch for storage batteries, consisting of an electromagnet and a polarized armature, contacts controlled by said armature and covered from view and an indicator showing the position of the contacts.

4. A chargingswitch consisting of a box or casing, containing an electromagnet, a polarized armature for the electromagnet, contacts controlled by the polarized armature, the armature' extending to the outside of the box and thus showing its position, and means for connecting a source of electricity and a battery in series with the magnet and contacts,

substantiallyas described.

In witness whereofV I subscribe my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MILLER n. 'HU'ronison lVitnesses:

FRANK S. BER, l WALDo M. CHAPIN. 

